Chapter 37: Values Follow Appearances
Before long, Liu An’an and Jiang Yan couldn’t keep calm anymore. The overachieving cousin helped Xia Xia pick up a rib and even sprinkled a bit of green onion on it, some of which ended up in his own bowl.
This was way too “boyfriend-like,” wasn’t it?
Jiang Yan couldn’t help but whisper to Liu An’an, “I can’t believe it, but I’m seeing some suspicious vibes between Xia Xia and her cousin. There must be something wrong with my values.”
“Totally normal,” Liu An’an replied while licking her spoon and blinking. “Values follow appearances. Now imagine swapping her cousin’s face with Yue Qiang’s. Would you still feel this way?”
Jiang Yan shuddered, her body trembling as a wave of discomfort washed over her at the thought of Yue Qiang. She quickly shook her head.
Feelings? There wouldn’t be time for feelings—she’d be too busy vomiting.
The two thought they were speaking quietly, but Wen Xia and Qin Mo heard every single word.
Wen Xia: “…”
Qin Mo raised an eyebrow, clearly satisfied with Jiang Yan’s misunderstanding.
…
Jiang Yan emerged from the campus convenience store, carrying a large bag of snacks. It all felt surreal to her, like she was dreaming.
She couldn’t help but pull Wen Xia aside. “Xia Xia, is your cousin’s family nouveau riche?”
Wen Xia: “…”
“No, they’re more like an ATM.”
She had never heard Qin Mo complain about lacking money. His work as a lawyer seemed to be driven purely by his personal interests.
Jiang Yan: “…”
Liu An’an: “…”
Suddenly, Liu An’an blurted out, “Xia Xia, does your cousin’s family have any other ATMs like him? If so, hook me up with one. I don’t want to work hard anymore.”
Wen Xia couldn’t help but laugh, flashing her teeth as she patted Liu An’an’s back comfortingly. “Dream on, girl.”
An ATM as high-quality as this? Wen Xia had only seen one in her entire lifetime.
After dropping them off at their classroom, Qin Mo prepared to return to No.1 Middle School. He opted to take the dedicated school shuttle from No.2 Middle School and declined the principal’s offer to escort him.
Wen Xia, reluctant to part, accompanied him to the school gate to see him off.
“Excuse me, classmate, wait a second. I have a stomachache—I need to use the restroom.”
The driver uncle grabbed a handful of tissues in the car and rushed into the school building.
The black van was parked at the school gate. On the inner side of the wall, where the two stood, it was a visual dead spot. Moreover, it was the time when most students had gone back to their classrooms for a nap, so the area was almost deserted.
With just the two of them, Qin Mo didn’t hold back. He wrapped his arms around Wen Xia’s waist, pinned her against the car door, and lowered his head to place a quick kiss on her lips. “Wife,” he murmured.
Though it wasn’t their first kiss, it was their first time kissing at the school gate. Wen Xia felt nervous, glancing around anxiously while pushing against his shoulders. “Qin Mo, let me go!”
“Call me ‘husband,’” Qin Mo demanded, clearly displeased with her choice of address. He bent slightly, cupped her blushing face with one hand, lifting it gently. Her flushed cheeks resembled an enticing, ripe peach.
For a fleeting moment, he was seriously tempted to strip off his school uniform and do something reckless.
Wen Xia, forced to tilt her head up, instinctively clenched his school uniform with her hands. “Husband,” she murmured.
The sweet sound sent a tingling sensation straight to his chest. Qin Mo cursed softly under his breath, “Damn,” and pulled her even closer, leaning down to kiss her deeply again.
A few minutes later, the sound of hurried footsteps approached. Qin Mo quickly buttoned up Wen Xia’s slightly open collar.
Wen Xia’s face was so red at this point it seemed like it might drip blood.
“Sorry about that, had to spend a bit longer in the restroom,” the driver uncle said as he returned, noticing how the female student’s head was almost buried into her shoulders. “Classmate, are you feeling unwell?”
“No… I’m fine. I’ll head off now,” Wen Xia replied, too embarrassed to lift her head, terrified someone might notice her flushed face.
Qin Mo grabbed her hand before she could leave. As she glared at him, he chuckled softly. Then, with a quick motion, he took a bank card from his pocket and slipped it into hers. “The PIN is your birthday. Be good at school, buy whatever you want, and don’t skimp.”
“I don’t want it,” Wen Xia protested, pulling the card out and trying to return it.
Qin Mo caught her hand and leaned in close to her ear, his voice low. “If you don’t take it, I’ll kiss you again.”
Wen Xia clutched the card and dashed off in a panic.
…
At No.1 Middle School, it was 1:12 PM—eight minutes until the next class started.
After the lunchtime nap, the hallways were quiet, as most students were still dozing.
The Rocket Class’s classroom was right next to the teachers’ office for the second-year students.
Just as Qin Mo was about to enter the classroom, Zhou Gang stepped out of the office, intending to wake the students and shake off their drowsiness.
“Qin Mo, you’re back?” Zhou Gang greeted.
Qin Mo paused and replied, “Yes.”
“Wait for me on the balcony for a moment. The teacher needs to have a word with you,” Zhou Gang said as he knocked on the green iron door of the classroom. “Students, get up and shake off the sleepiness.”
Once the students had raised their heads, Zhou Gang turned to Qin Mo for their conversation.
Zhou Gang glanced at Qin Mo, seeming hesitant at first, before circling to his real question. “Qin Mo, how was the experience giving a speech at No.2 Middle School?”
“It was fine,” Qin Mo answered calmly.
He already knew what Zhou Gang wanted to ask and didn’t wait for him to bring it up. Standing tall, he declared, “Mr. Zhou, I’m in a relationship now, but it won’t affect my studies.”
In his past life, his wife had always been resentful of the fact that she had been the one to chase after him. When they lived together, they would sometimes argue over minor things.
Every time, she’d end up saying the same thing: “Qin Mo, you treat me like this because you know I liked you first.”
Whenever she said that, he would always give in.
But whether he responded or stayed silent, his wife was never satisfied.
Eventually, he wised up and started resolving those arguments in bed.
Now, in this life, he was taking the initiative. Let’s see what his wife could say about it this time.
Zhou Gang: “…”
After a trip to No.2 Middle School for a speech, his prized student was now in a relationship already?
“Alright, bring her—” Wait, what?
Realizing his slip, Zhou Gang immediately corrected himself, adopting a stern demeanor. “Ahem. Qin Mo, focus on your studies. Early relationships will affect your performance.”
“Mr. Zhou, it won’t affect my studies,” Qin Mo replied firmly.
Qin Mo was quite certain. The next moment, a small smile curved at the corners of his mouth. “Mr. Zhou, after graduation, I’ll bring her to see you.”
Zhou Gang: “…”
He cleared his throat, feeling like the conversation had reached a dead end. He waved his hand and said, “Go to class. As for meeting, let’s talk about it after graduation.”
Once Qin Mo entered the classroom, Zhou Gang finally realized what he should have said—”No early relationships!” instead of “We’ll talk after graduation.”
After a moment’s thought, he decided to call Qin Mo’s parents. When the call connected, he greeted them warmly, “Hello, is this Qin Mo’s father? I’m Zhou Gang, Qin Mo’s homeroom teacher.”
On the other end, Qin Ande, hearing this, motioned for others to be quiet. “Yes, hello, Mr. Zhou. Is something the matter?”
“Well, it’s like this. Qin Mo’s studies have been great, but recently, there’s a possibility that he’s involved in an early relationship.”
Zhou Gang, concerned that Qin Ande might get upset, praised Qin Mo’s performance first, hoping to soften the impact of the news.
However, Qin Ande wasn’t angry. “Mr. Zhou, I’ve met that girl. She seems quite well-behaved.”
Zhou Gang: “???”
He was a little stunned.
He replied seriously, “Mr. Qin, early relationships can affect studies. Many students’ academic performance has been ruined because of them.”
On the other end, Qin Ande, while signing some papers, asked, “Has Qin Mo’s grades dropped?”
“No, actually, he’s improved by a few points,” Zhou Gang answered, his voice becoming a bit more proud.
After all, Qin Mo had the best grades among all the students he had taught over the years.
“Well then, Mr. Zhou, you can rest assured. There won’t be any impact.”
Qin Ande’s calm voice on the other end of the line left Zhou Gang speechless.
*
The weather grew colder, and everyone had switched to wearing a thicker jacket.
The classroom doors and windows were tightly shut, yet the cold still seeped in, making people’s hands and feet stiff with the chill.
Wen Xia exhaled hot breath into her palm, then resumed her English practice test. Two hours in the winter felt a bit torturous.
When Zhao Jing finished collecting the test papers, the students below quietly murmured how cold it was. She said, “If you’re cold, stand up and move around a bit. Keep your voices down; class hasn’t finished yet.”
Afterward, she sat at the podium and used a red pen to mark the test papers. The first one she graded was Wen Xia’s. Three or four minutes later, she finished marking it and found Wen Xia had scored 138 points.
Her previous test score had been just 100, so this was a progress of more than 30 points. Zhao Jing looked at Wen Xia, who was focused on her homework, with some satisfaction.
After class, she took the test papers back to the office. When she saw Cao Jun had arrived, she praised, “Teacher Cao, Wen Xia has made great progress. She scored 138 points in this English test.”
Cao Jun, hearing this, also praised her, saying, “Wen Xia seems like she’s had a breakthrough. I’ll give her a special mention at the parent-teacher meeting this time.”
Wen Xia wasn’t just improving in English; her other subjects were also progressing. If you added up her test scores from all subjects, she had nearly 550 points.
But the real situation would be clearer after the midterm exams.
Soon, the math teacher, Liu Zhiwei, walked in, his excitement barely concealed. “The national math olympiad results are out! Qin Mo took first place and won 10,000 yuan in prize money. I heard No.1 Middle School also rewarded him with 5,000.”
Cao Jun couldn’t help but click his tongue twice. “If I had a student like that, I’d probably wake up laughing in my sleep.”
After a pause, he added, “Wen Xia’s not bad either.”
*
Wen De was directing workers when he received Cao Jun’s call. The sound of machines roaring filled the air.
He quickly walked to a quieter spot. “Teacher Cao.”
“Wen Xia’s father, hello. The school is holding a parent-teacher meeting for all parents to discuss their children’s situation at home and offer more targeted teaching.”
“It’ll be this Friday at 1:00 PM. Will you be available?”
“Yes,” Wen De responded.
